Every time a passenger gets on an airplane, the work of the William J. Hughes Technical Center is in plain view: from the strength of the runway to the radar system that tracks incoming and outgoing planes to the security at the Atlantic City International Airport.
While the facility’s impact on the aviation industry is staggering, its impact on the region’s economy and its future could be just as important.
The more than 5,000-acre facility is responsible for contributing more than $678 million in spending and staff salaries to the South Jersey economy, according to a report from the Center for Regional and Business Research at Atlantic Cape Community College.
The stability of the Hughes center has made aviation research a focus of the ever-changing Atlantic County economy. A recent report by AngelouEconomics identified aviation as one of the areas in which economic growth in the region can take place.
The growth of aviation research at the center was one of the key factors in the creation of the Stockton Aviation Research & Technology Park. When complete, the park is expected to create more than 4,000 high-paying jobs. The facility is expected to bring in more than $300 million in private funding.